BY MURRAY GLEFFE
CORRESPONDENT
DE PERE – West De Pere student-athletes Connor Langreder and Pejha Mitchell signed national letters of intent to play baseball at Northern Illinois and run track at Upper Iowa, respectively, in a Nov. 14 ceremony at the high school.
Langreder, a senior pitcher, is 10-1, has an ERA of 1.4 and has 112 strikeouts in 94 innings in the two years he’s been on varsity.
He helped lead the Phantoms to the sectional final in 2018 where they fell just short to Kimberly.
“Connor has been our most consistent pitcher over the past two years,” said West De Pere baseball coach Joe Rukamp. “He has helped lead us to two conference championships and was a big part in us reaching the sectional final last year. He threw back-to-back shutouts in his two playoff appearances last spring. Now as a senior, we expect Connor to be the leader of our pitching staff next spring. He will have the responsibility to teach our young, upcoming pitchers our expectations and our pitching philosophy. Connor has worked very hard in the weight room and on the practice field to make himself into a Division 1 pitcher. I feel very confident that he will excel at Northern Illinois. They are getting a great kid who really loves to compete on the mound. He won’t back down from any challenges at the next level.”
After his junior season was complete, Langreder was named first team all-conference and first team all-district.
“I fully expect to go to DeKalb (Illinois) and start as a freshman,” said Langreder. “I set my goals high and want to make an impact from the start. First, though, I want to lead West De Pere to state.”
Mitchell, a star in the 100-meter hurdles, will take her running ability to Fayette, Iowa, where she will be a Peacock on the track and field team.
“Pejha is a very talented hurdler and has been a key part of our girls’ team success,” said West De Pere track coach Craig Zellner. “Unfortunately, Pejha was hampered by injuries last season so she was unable to compete for most of the year. She has the talent to compete at the next level and if she can stay healthy and puts in the work, I feel she will be very successful at Upper Iowa. We are looking forward to another great season from her this spring and I know she can’t wait to get back on the track.”
Some of Pejha’s accomplishments over the last three years include being first team all-conference in 2016 and 2017 in the 100-meter hurdles and being a 2017 state qualifier in 100-meter hurdles. She qualified for the finals by finishing ninth in Division 1 with a time of 15.33 seconds. She also holds the school record in the 100 hurdles with that time.
“My goal is to continue to get faster and qualify for nationals,” said Mitchell. “It’s an honor to be here today and continue not only my education but track and field as well.”
